


Jersey Eats

by klutzy34



Series: Jersey Skills [8]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 07:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7791865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy34/pseuds/klutzy34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve isn't one for surprises. Danny is stubborn enough to make it work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jersey Eats

“Steven John McGarrett, I know that after I told you to keep away from the kitchen, you are not hovering just out of view because you think I won’t notice.” 

There was still no movement as Danny stared at the doorway out to the living room, hands resting on his hips and brow furrowed in annoyance. When he heard no sound to accompany the soft scuffling of a few moments earlier, he glanced back at his son and silently pointed at the doorway. Charlie climbed down from the chair and pattered across the floor, stopping just past the doorway and craning his head up to smile happily at someone Danny couldn’t see. He heard the soft sigh that followed and Steve peered around the corner with the sheepish expression. 

“Come on, Danny. You can’t just tell me to stay out and not - “ He trailed off as Danny held up a hand, one hand still resting on his hip. Steve had his benevolent dictator finger; Danny had his stop sign palm. 

“That’s because it’s a surprise, Steven, one that Grace, Charlie, and I are working very hard on. If you want something to do, you can grab the table and the chairs from the garage and start setting them up out back. Otherwise, you can wait and I’ll come help once I’m mostly done here,” he stated, moving closer to the doorway. Once he was in range, he bodily turned Steve around and gave him a gentle push towards the lanai doors. “You like being outside. Go embrace your inner seal, flop around in the water some more, fall asleep in the hammock. Do something other than be in here and if you need something to drink, shout out and I’ll bring you something. Just leave me my surprise,” he added as he pushed his partner along, Steve dragging his feet as they approached the door. 

Stopping out on the lanai, he turned to face Danny. “You know, just because the acronym is SEAL doesn’t mean I have anything in common with an actual seal,” he protested, holding his hands out to his side. 

“You mean except for this sad face you get sometimes that reminds me of a lost baby seal? No, never.” Danny waved a finger around in the general direction of Steve’s face. “Sometimes you are a ninja, a weapon in human form, but other times, more often lately than not, you are possessed by the cuddly instincts of a baby animal. I have proof on my phone, in the form of many, many pictures of you and your handsy ways.”

Steve’s jaw dropped open. “I’m the handsy one? Yours never stop moving, Danny. I don’t wave them in the air like I’m conducting an imaginary orchestra. I just...like people.”

“You have no concept of personal space. That’s not a complaint, in case you choose to take it as one. It’s only a statement that - “

“ _Dad!_ ” Grace’s voice came through the open window in the kitchen, a slight note of distress in her tone. “There’s a, uh, problem here with..burning.” She trailed off awkwardly, apparently trying to hide the surprise while alerting him to an issue taking place. Danny held up his hands and backed towards the house.

“Please, just...work with me here, all right? Trust me, in a few hours you’ll see what’s going on and it will all be worth it.” With that, he shut the lanai door, leaving Steve standing in the middle of the yard, arms crossed, lips pursed, and brow furrowed like a petulant child. Despite his partner already having disappeared into the house, he huffed out a breath and started around the corner. 

“Fine. I’ll go get the table and chairs, despite the fact that I could get in through the second floor window,” he muttered to himself.

\------------

As the day crept towards the evening, Danny emerged once again and shooed Steve off on an errand, a list of drinks half a mile long and some basic supplies that gave him no more of a hint than they were having dinner. That part he’d already figured out. The latter half of the list required stopping at a wine store and paying attention to the labels as Danny requested specific kinds. Figuring it would get done faster if he delegated, Steve found an eager to please employee and handed the list over. She quickly found all the bottles he needed, putting him through the line and on his way home faster than if he’d just done it himself.

When he arrived back at home, the lawn was already full of cars. Chin’s Mustang sat beside Kono’s Chevy, Lou’s Suburban blocking in Danny’s Camaro. Max’s Camaro sat a few vehicles away beside Kamekona’s Jeep. Again, after setting up the tables and chairs, seeing all those vehicles wasn’t entirely surprising. What finally did surprise him, however, was that it wasn’t just his team and friends. Renee laughed with Kono and Adam nearby, Grace and Samantha putting the finishing touches on string lights surrounding the table, illuminating it as the sun set in the background. Sabrina and Max moved together down the length of the table, setting out plates and silverware, leaning close to talk and laugh. 

Chin crouched down between Charlie and Sarah, showing them something he’d found, gently cupped in his hands. A few feet away, Abby carefully took pictures of them, a soft smile on her face. As Steve watched the scene unfold, Danny and Lou emerged from the lanai doors, each carrying large bowls of the most delicious smelling pasta Steve had ever had the fortune of catching a whiff of. “Danno?” he called softly, a rustle of plastic accompanying his attempt to motion Danny over with all the bags he carried. “Seriously, what’s going on?”

Danny shifted the big bowl of pasta to one arm, reaching out to take one of the bags from Steve. “A real Italian dinner, babe, that’s what’s going on. It occurred to me that while I’ve learned a few things about Hawaii, I’ve never introduced a few Williams’ family traditions, including sharing our love with family through the food we make.” He set the bag down and carefully plucked a sauce covered piece of rigatoni from the bowl, holding it out for Steve to take. Steve eyed it speculatively, then leaned in to nip it from between Danny’s fingers. Flavor burst on his tongue and Steve’s eyes widen as he chewed. 

“Oh my god, this is amazing,” he burst out, wiping a bit of sauce off his lip and sucking it off. “This is one of the best things I’ve had in my mouth.” It was sweet and a little bit meaty with just a hint of spicy and before he realized what he was doing, he was reaching for another piece. Danny quickly swatted the hand.

“Since I made that, I’ll add it to the list of things of mine that you enjoy having in your mouth,” he replied casually, elbow gently bumping against Steve’s hip as he turned to head over to the table. Steve snorted softly and jogged a few steps to catch up.

“You made this?” His gaze fell on the table. “You made all this?” he asked, realizing there was far more food on the table than he’d first seen, too distracted by everyone wandering around his backyard. 

“I made all this. Well, Grace and I made all this while Charlie generally made a mess, but he did try.” Setting the bowl down, Danny reached behind to hook a finger in a belt loop of Steve’s pants. He rose up on his tiptoes to give him a light kiss. “Most of it comes from my _nonna’s_ cookbook. She says hello, by the way, and she’s very impressed with the progress you’re making on your Italian.” 

Steve fell into step beside him, shifting the bags to his other hand. “Well, she’s fun to talk to. It’s funny, just the other day, she was telling me how she and your grandfather met. Something about how he was being a pushy American soldier, treating her like a delicate flower, so she knocked him one in the jaw. He surprised her by asking her out to dinner instead of getting mad.” 

Danny stopped in the lanai doorway, reaching out a hand to rest against Steve’s chest. “I’ve heard it several times before, believe me. You should hear my grandfather’s side of the story. The way he tells it, she hit him so hard that he didn’t see spots dancing in front of his eyes, but hearts.” 

Steve arched an eyebrow at that. “And you don’t think that’s funny?” he asked casually. Since hearing that story, Steve couldn’t help but think back to the first few days they’d worked together, when Danny made it clear he wasn’t about to take any crap from Steve and Steve knew he’d found the partner he needed to make staying on the island and with the taskforce a real possibility. 

Danny tilted his head. “What, that my grandmother decked my grandfather? Yeah, it’s a little funny.” He pat Steve’s chest, ignoring the slight sad puppy look as he turned to head into the house. “You’re still banned. Go set those bottles on the table and take a seat, rest easy. You’re one of the guests tonight, not the host,” he called back to him as he disappeared into the kitchen yet again. 

“That it sounds like us,” Steve mumbled to no one as he turned to head for the table, bottles clinking along in their plastic bags. “Maybe.”

\--------------

There had to be some kind of magic in the recipes passed down in Danny’s family. That was the only excuse Steve could come up with for why he’d gone back for seconds, thirds, fourths when his stomach warned him it was about ready to burst. The flavors on his tongue were warm and inviting and for the first time, he could see where people would equate food with comfort. He tried everything, scooping large spoonfuls out of the bowls and pans passed around the large group gathered at the table, bowls and pans that, despite the large appetites involved, were still half full. Even Kamekona stated that he was stuffed beyond full. Steve never knew that was possible.

As he sat back in his chair, hands resting on his full belly, he gazed around the table. When he’d first arrived home in Hawaii after his father’s death, he never imagined that he would be here. This was the kind of family life he’d dreamed about growing up, where tables were this full of people he cared about during the holidays or celebrating something good happening. There were so many conversations around him, so many bodies alive and animatedly gesturing, that he couldn’t pinpoint just one. So many smiles, so much happiness. 

“Uncle Steve? Napkin please.” Steve felt the tiny, sauce covered fingers tugging on his shirt before he heard Charlie’s voice beside him. He couldn’t help but laugh at the little boy’s face, his mouth surrounded by red sauce, fingers leaving sauce smears on Steve’s sleeve and arm. He quickly grabbed a napkin from the middle of the table and turned to face him, holding his chin in one hand while he removed any trace of the sauce. 

“That feel about right to you? It looks right to me,” Steve said, earning a small thumbs up and a grin before Charlie rushed off again, joining forces with Sarah to explore something in one of the bushes surrounding his property. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and suddenly pulled him over, Steve’s hands shooting out to grab the table before he toppled entirely. 

“I never thought I would say this to you,” Lou said, leaning heavily into Steve. The glass in his hand was half full, the wind sloshing against the sides as he pointed a finger at Steve. “But I love you, man. There’s something about you that gets under a guy’s skin even when he thinks you’re a jerk and now here we are. I. Love. You.” With each of the last words, he jabbed his finger into Steve’s shoulder affectionately.

“You been enjoying that wine, Lou?” Steve joked, giving him a light elbow in the side with a big grin. 

“Enjoying? Man damn near made love to it,” Renee said, turning the bottle upside down and shaking it. “Though in his defense, the one glass I had paired nicely with the pasta.” 

Lou nodded, smiling widely. “It paired mighty fine.” 

Chin leaned in to be heard by both of them over the many conversations. “You might want to slow down, Lou, or you’ll be feeling a little less euphoric in the morning,” he said, tone affectionately dry. 

“That’s in the morning. Right now, I ain’t feeling anything other than eupho - all right, we’re getting dessert too.” Steve glanced over at the lanai doors were Danny and Grace were bringing out trays laden with desserts. The murmurs around the table quickly turned to teasing about how they were too full for more food, but once the plates were on the table, forks were quickly picked up. Groaning, Steve pushed up to the table again, hands resting on the edge in preparation for receiving his own dessert.

It never came, Danny standing right behind him. After a few beats and nothing, Steve leaned back and tilted his head up, peering up at his partner questioningly. Danny raised an eyebrow, looking down at him. “I told you not to come into the kitchen this afternoon and you defied my orders. I don’t know if I should be rewarding that kind of behavior.”

Steve’s bottom lip stuck out slightly. “First of all, that was my kitchen first so I’m not sure you have the right to keep me out of it. Second, you love me, which I think is enough to excuse that small transgression, right?” His voice rose in a hopeful lilt and Danny rolled his eyes, taking the last dessert from the tray and setting it in front of Steve. However, instead of going back to his seat, he hovered behind him. Steve failed to notice as he sat up straight again, picked up his fork, and paused. 

Sitting lightly in the custard on top of the dessert was a rifle shell casing, one with _SuperSEAL_ etched into what was turned upwards, facing him. He gently picked it up, spying more writing and running a thumb along the custard, wiping it away to reveal the words:

_SuperSEAL_

_Marry me._

_Your grumpy Jersey partner, Danno_

Steve wasn’t sure what threw him more, the fact that Danny had used _Danno_ to sign the declaration, an unspoken acceptance to Steve using the nickname after all these years, or those two words etched in the middle of the casing. He sat there numbly, running his thumb over it again, feeling the etching under his thumbpad, reassuring him that it was very much real. It took a while before he realized the table had gone silent and all eyes were on him. Watching, waiting.

If it had been any other couple, any other person, the expected answer might have been an excited _yes!_ , one throwing their arms around the others, polite applause around the table and cheers for the happy couple. Steve never liked following expectations anyway. 

Danny let out a yelp as Steve shot out of his chair, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him up, his feet leaving the ground, the tray flying off to the side as Danny’s hands shot out to smack at his shoulder in exasperation. “Hey, animal, what did we say about picking me up without my permi _mrf!_ ” Danny’s rant died into muffled, nonsensical noises as Steve tilted his head up, lips meeting Danny’s hard in an unspoken answer. 

_Yes._

Around them, the table burst into applause and laughter. Lou proclaimed it was time to break open another bottle of wine, to which Renee gave a long-suffering _no, Lou_ and Chin stated that there was enough food leftover for the wedding reception. Steve barely heard them as he pulled away and let Danny back down onto his feet, grinning ear to ear. 

Danny tugged his shirt back into order, then spread his hands wide imploringly. “Now do you see why it pays to listen sometimes? You almost ruined your surprise, McGarrett, and believe me, I worked very hard on that.” 

Steve picked up the engraved casing from the table and wrapped an arm around Danny’s neck, pulling him close. “If you’d just asked in passing, I would have said yes, buddy,” he murmured, taking in the words again before he tightened his fingers around it. “Now if I could only get you to clean, you’d be the perfect package.”

Danny’s hand hit his chest. _Hard._ “Say that again, McGarrett, and you’ll start out this new leg of our relationship on the couch.” 

Steve winced and rubbed his chest. “I’m sorry that I don’t enjoy finding your dirty boxers laying on the bathroom floor after a shower or random t-shirts showing up behind the couch or - “

“Well, maybe if you’d quit pulling them off me when we’re alone and your hormones go into overdrive, my clothing wouldn’t be left all over the house like - “

“Oh, so this is on me now? I have news for you, Williams. Those entanglements take two and last I checked, you were ahead in clothing destruction by at least a shirt and a pair of pants - “ 

“You weren’t complaining, Steven!” 

“That’s not the point, Daniel!” 

“Already married,” Lou muttered as he took advantage of the bickering distraction to claim the unopened bottle of wine in the middle of the table.


End file.
